WHAT?

WHAT?

Police shot and killed an unidentified 32-year-old man after a chaotic chase on Pittsburgh’s South Side early this morning.

A city of Pittsburgh police office and a state trooper working together in the same unmarked vehicle on a DUI roving patrol chased an SUV for several blocks until it crashed once, officers fired shots at the driverd, and the driver fled in the vehicle until he crashed into a pole at 22nd and Sarah streets.

The driver, whose vehicle had an Ohio license plate, was pronounced dead at 2:07 a.m. at UMPC Mercy. His name hasn’t been released pending notification of family.

A news release from city police said the incident began when officers sitting in traffic at 13th and East Carson streets saw the SUV on 13th Street aproaching the intersection driving in the wrong lane with no headlights on. When the SUV got to Carson, the release said, it lurched several times and nearly hit the police vehicle.

Officers activated their emergency lights, causing the SUV driver to put his vehicle in reverse and drive backwards at a high rate of speed . Police chased the SUV until it crashed into a parked vehicle at Wharton and 22nd streets.

The news release said uniformed officers approached the vehicle and ordered the driver to show his hands, but the driver instead put his vehicle in reverse and struck the unmarked police vehicle. Officers fired several shots into the vehicle but the driver backed up and pulled away again as officers fired additional shots.

The SUV crashed again into a pole at Sarah and 22nd Street.

Diane Richard, a city police spokeswoman, said the city police officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, normal procedure following an incident when a police officer fires a gun.

Ms. Richard said the cause of death will be determined by the Allegheny County medcal examiner later today.

Holy crap, that’s 2 blocks from my house! Why do we even let people with Ohio License Plates in to the city?